Life's Little Teardrops

17. The Truth and Deal

"What happened?" I ask for the third time.

The infirmary is large and was probably a lounge of some kind, the walls are blue and there are four beds against a far wall and a desk by the door as well as a closet. It's empty except for a green-eyed boy at the desk and Trinity.

Trin has been acting very suspicious.

I've asked her about it a lot in the hour I've been here but she keeps saying

"It's not the time." What is that supposed to mean? Am I supposed to just wait around for a few days or something.

Pandora stops playing in the background as a Neon red head begins a chat with the guy at the desk.

The redhead.

Trin looks attentively at them as the boy leaves and the girl sits her bag on the desk. She begins walking over and takes a seat next to Trinity.

"Finally, I've been stalling for an hour. Can you talk to her now?" Trin asks her looking relieved. The girl nods and Trinity curls up to sleep.

The girl gets up and I follow as she leads me to two chairs in the corner.

"I'm Ridley." She says with a smile as she straitened her skin-tight red dress which is much different from the uniform I've seem here. "I'm Eliza," I say as I remember the note, it said something about 'Ridley'. "What's going on?" I ask as she smiles comfortingly. She seems to be pretty nice despite her previously beating me up.

"You were told you were brought here for ransom, correct?" I nod although I don't see the point in this question. She folds her hands in her lap as I notice they are covered in Black chains and rings. "That is what the members here are aware of. However I have a hiden agenda, I work here as a guard but I'm really undercover." She says it so calmly as if it is only 1/3 of her speech and not a complete surprise to me.

"I work undercover with a small group of Ex-Redels. We were part of the group responsible for the infection and Plague. My sister was the ring-leader and was persecuted for her actions." I'm siting a foot away from the person who helped cause millions of deaths, yet I don't really care. "It was only supposed to kill enough to steady the economy and fix over population. We expected the government and medical systems to be more capable. The few of us left are working to find a cure for those still alive." She pauses with a glazed over look, like she feels too impossible.

"The people here don't know that." She seems like she is done speaking but has left more questions than answers. "Why are you undercover here?" I ask trying to put a puzzle together while thinking to myself 'I don't have enough pieces.'

"My colleagues are serving time here for their crimes against Humanity. I am working with them at night when I'm supposed to make sure they do not leave." Her smile fades and I begin to understand. "Why am I here?" I ask.

She looks at me with that glazed over look. "My sister's journals depict how to cure it but not clearly. They say we need to find certain people to help us and that they will know what to do." She glances at Trinity and I realize what's going on. "You think Trinity is one of the people you need?" I ask with a slightly shocked expression.

She nods.

"Why an I here though? Why Deedee? Why Blaine?" I ask beginning to get desperate for answers and hopeful for the extermination of questions.

She sighs as life comes back to her eyes.

"Blaine and Destiny were brought under the assumption that they would be held for ransom although Destiny's aggression proves she will probably be offered a position here. As for you...." She trails off as I realize, and I feel the color slip from my face and suddenly I feel on the edge.

"We need you." She says finally.

"If I do help you how will this work?" I ask questionably.

"Deedee could take a job here and you could all stay here and help us."

"So nobody but you and your 'Colleagues' know about this but they would just let us stay here no questions asked?" This seems so unreal.

She thinks for a moment. "I would convince them that You and Blaine could be scavengers and that Trinity needs our medical attention."

I smile and look over at Trin who seems to sleeping peacefully although her breathing does sound slightly strange.

"And Trinity knows all of this?"

Ridley nods and I smile.

"I'll talk to Deedee but I think we have a deal."